Lunar Passion
by Crimzy
Summary: White Day is approaching and Ichigo needs to find a gift for Rukia that really conveys how he feels about her.  Set in a future time.


**Lunar Passion**

By: Crim

This ficlet was written for Rukia's Birthday Drabble Challenge at fuckyeahichiruki on Tumblr. The prompt was _bonds_. Please do not redistribute any where else. All characters belong to Tite Kubo.

...

The years have passed by and Kurosaki Ichigo was already living on his own as a university student. A lot has happened over the years, but that was still an understatement. Regardless, any and every challenge has been conquered for the sake of this current lifestyle. Most days have been peaceful, but they were about to become a little more challenging with White Day approaching.

Ichigo visited every store in his path with no such luck each time. Nothing seemed qualified as the right White Day present. _"You haven't gotten her a White Day present yet?" "How can you forget it's almost White Day?" "You've been together for so long; it has to be good!" _The lectures he got from his family rang incessantly through his head. This would be their first "official" White Day together, but stuff like this usually didn't matter much to the both of them. Unlike most girls that get worked up for this holiday, Rukia would be happy with anything, really. But this time, a strong determination within Ichigo drove him to find something perfect for this occasion.

Frustrated from the lack of progress, Ichigo exhibited his trademark disgruntled face that usually drove people away. Instead, he struck awe in the eyes of the young female adults in his path with his tall, lean, and fashionable appearance. The serious look on his face boosted his cool charisma. Some brave girls tried to win his attention, but Ichigo was too focused on Rukia and walked right past them.

"How cruel!" A rejected gyaru pouted as Ichigo kept walking past her.

"Maybe he already has a girlfriend," said another gyaru.

"Most guys who are taken should have a couple ring nowadays! Ugh!"

Ichigo could hear their loud conversation but brushed it off, naively thinking it had nothing to do with him. Then the gears in his brain started turning and the light bulb went off. "Jewelry!" He darted toward the nearest jewelry store he could find. He made his way through each aisle of jewelry cases, but nothing was calling out to him. _She doesn't really wear jewelry, idiot. _The prettiest cuts of diamonds and the shiniest gems would not do her justice. The light she emanated alone would dull that of any of these precious stones.

Before making his way out the door in defeat, he noticed something different from the rest. "A red ring?" He stared at it intently, seeing there was nothing elaborate about it at all. It was just a simple red band, but it was a very smooth grain with a very shiny lustre. He looked at his own pinky and yet again something just clicked.

"A high polished red agate band... This is a very unique choice of a gift. For White Day I'm assuming?" The female clerk smiled at her customer as she placed the ring it into its decorative box. "You know, in the presence of the right light, this ring will shine in radiant splendor as its natural beauty glows with delight."

Ichigo's eyes widened from the realization. "I see. Then it's even more fitting."

White Day finally arrived. The day was actually almost finished. With Ichigo's classes and part-time job and Rukia's duties as Vice Captain in Seireitei, it was hard enough to plan a night alone together. But the separation never weakened their bond. Their hearts have always been connected.

Ichigo instructed Rukia to meet him on top of his apartment building's roof that night. He waited at the corner of the rooftop until she arrived. Soon, a Hell Butterfly appeared, fluttering its wings right by him. The Vice Captain of Squad 13 descended from the Senkaimon and simply said, "I'm back."

"You're late! You know how long I've been out here? It got colder dammit!" Ichigo yelled with his runny nose dripping.

"You idiot! You wouldn't have been out here so long if you told me an exact time!" Rukia was sure to shove that down his throat. Their typical bickering ensued until they realized their own way of exchanging Hello's had been established.

Eventually, they stood side by side against the ledge of the rooftop. Their comfortable silence allowed them to admire the beauty of the moon and stars spread across the sky.

"The moon is pretty bright tonight..." Rukia's tone was a lot softer and calm. She rested her head and arms on the ledge, admiring the raw beauty of that astral figure from afar.

Ichigo looked back at _his_ white moon, emanating her own natural white glow. Without hesitation, he grabbed her hands and cupped them into his. Their combined body heat warmed both sets of hands in the crisp spring night. Their gentle eyes stared back at each other intently, feeling at ease in each others' presence. Ichigo reached into his pocket and slipped the red band he was destined to give her onto her left pinky. Rukia looked at the shiny ring inquisitively and wondered why it was on a different finger than expected.

"Ichigo, what's this?" Confusion covered her face, not even knowing why she was receiving a gift at all.

"Happy White Day... Rukia." He should have known that the hard working Vice Captain has been too busy to even know what day it was. Without her noticing, he had slipped on an exact ring on his own right pinky.

"Honestly, it was a pain in the ass to find you something. But this was something I felt was perfect for you- For both of us. 'Girlfriend,' 'Boyfriend' ... 'Couple.' Those are just overused titles. We haven't even addressed each other as such since the first time we confessed to each other... Which was almost a year ago. But something like that never made our feelings for each other falter. Our bond won't ever change. You'll always be Rukia to me... _My_ Rukia. I wanted these rings to symbolize how our unbreakable bond is bound by the red string of fate. This ring shares your essence. There's so much beauty lying within its simplicity. You're my white moon, acting as my guiding light in the presence of darkness. Your own glowing light will allow this ring to always shine radiantly, revealing its natural beauty in an attempt to match your own."

Rukia's violet eyes were moist with subtle tears, yet she couldn't stop smiling or blushing. She burrowed her head onto Ichigo's chest and couldn't think of anything else fitting to say. "I love you... Ichigo." He smiled right back at her as he gently brushed her bangs aside. He interlaced his ring-bearing hand with hers and leaned in closer to those tender lips. At that moment, the moon's luminous glow reflected off both of the agate rings. Its polished red hue was as intense as the burning passion from their deep kiss.

**Author's Notes**: I'm sorry, I just realized romance isn't really my forté because of how long and agonizing it was to write this the way I pictured it in my head. XD Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Here is a picture of what the red agate ring looks like: [http: / /][img194].[imageshack].[us/img194/5461/41edz6hxqvlsl500aa300].[jpg]


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